Any opinions? I know it’s a close clone to my 28 DHT which has been a nightmare. The 25 gpm pump with 9.5 second cycle rate should be up to the task. Toying with the idea of cutting off the foot, welding a box wedge on and making it a push through splitter. One almost brand new popped up on FB. I’d offer $1500
It gets a lot of favorable reviews. Good luck & let us know. I've got a 37 ton splitter and haven't found anything it wouldn't split yet. I agree with the mod to pass through... I've been thinking of doing the same to mine.
Sort of a love hate idea LOL Like the idea of a box wedge. Would be advantageous for the splitting I do. Big rounds hung from above. Just keep lowering the rounds into the wedge, no wrestling, just slicing 4” splits or so off the bottom. Considered building a sliding box wedge but that’s probably too much pressure to put on the ram and enclosed gib style setup. Not a fan of enclosed wedges. Seemingly tho a conveyor of sorts would be optimal and I’m not sure I want one.
Just curious what kind of problems with the DHT ? I’ve had mine four about 4or 5 years now and it hasn’t missed a beat.
Just about everything. 4 way wedge is designed so that if in top position with a split underneath it will shear the log strippers off and destroy the wedge too. Fixed that myself. And everything else that follows because DHT could not find a shop in Ct willing to do service work on it. I’m actually ok with that, rather do it myself. First Ram leaked. Replaced under warranty. High pressure hose fitting exploded, warranty. Almost took my mother’s head off tho. Lovejoy shredded, one of the few parts that comes installed, not tightened enough was my guess, warranty. Second Ram leaks, 1 year warranty is off. Welds on the I beam rails let go. That makes a hell of a bang Welds on the foot began to crack. Engine runs great. A special line going inside the carb is a little funky. Some strange metal that oxidizes very quickly if left without fuel. Never shut the fuel off or leave tank dry. Had to strip carb twice to learn that lesson. The low pressure clear return line hardened and became brittle. Caught that issue before it dumped fluid everywhere. Broke like glass when I tried to replace it. I think that’s about it.
WOW. That sucks. You definitely received a bad one. Well if you go with the county line or any other one for that matter I wish you the best of luck.
I’ve got a CL 40 ton, probably have 25hrs on it so far. It hasn’t had any issues and is super fast, never bogs down. Ive only done a couple of oil changes, otherwise zero maintenance either. If I were to do it again I might go with a push through, but for the price it’s a fantastic splitter. The ability to go vertical is handy even though it’s not my preferred orientation. Sometimes rounds are just easier to handle on the ground rather than balance on the beam.
I question the tonnage rating on these splitters, but that 25gpm pump is intriguing. For the money, the brand seems “ok.” My buddy has a 37? Ton unit and it splits what he needs it to split. The steel/weld quality along with the cylinder are concerns with nearly every low-middle end splitter. Heck, even high-end machines have their bumps. The difference? Their bumps are usually fewer in number and handled by the parent company. I have heard that TSC has been quick to support Countyline failures, though.
Yeah I got the Friday afternoon Monday morning model Luckily I bought a welder to go with it. I kept the original ram and should bring it to a hydro shop for repair. See if it’s just cheap seals or more severe internal wear. I’ve read from a hydro repair guy that happens. I’m Leary of replacing the second one with a new unit designed to fit if the same problem happens for a third time. Looks as if county line rams are the same when I researched. Maybe better parts? I’ve tried splitting large rounds vertically,,,,,,absolutely no thanks, just not for me. I have a hoist that will lift rounds on to the splitter. Works purty good. When a round gets above 24-28” depending on my mood, I’ll noodle it in half. Looked last night and that splitter sold already. Wasn’t a bad deal, not surprised. Personally I’d never buy another internal rail style splitter unless it was to convert to push through. All that wood that collects and gets crushed to the point of petrification annoys me
I was just going to post a new thread asking about feedback on this splitter, then I found this post. I am too looking at this 40 ton from County Line. The 25GPM pump and 9.5 cycle time has me intrigued. Problem is, I have a 10 year old 28 ton Speeco which has over 200 hours on it which has served me very well and has nothing wrong with it. In fact I would pretty much be "upgrading" simply for the faster cycle time. Also thinking I could get something out of my Speeco while I can vs "running it into the ground" to the point where I can't get much back out of it. If I sell, hoping to get $800 out of my Speeco. The County Line 40 ton definitely passes the eye test, and LOOKS to be well made, problem is, County Line brand splitters are Chinese crap. I am not sold on the long term quality and that's why I'm looking for some feedback. I've read lots of good stuff but also some horror stories. I think, just like a lot of Chinese stuff, it's a hit and miss. The last thing I want is to sell my Speeco and end up having issues with this County Line and regretting the decision. The County Line has a Kohler engine, but those are probably Chinese now. I'm also guessing the ram and hydraulics are all Chinese too. This leads to the availability of parts...? My gut is telling me to run as far and fast as I can from them, but the $1,800 (on sale) price point for a powerful, 25GPM, 9.5 sec, 40 ton splitter has me very interested. GRRRRRR! So, any more feedback on these County Line splitters, especially the 40 ton model would be great.
JRHAWK9 I don't know much about the County Line splitters but I have a 25 ton Speeco that was purchased back in 1999. I had to replace the motor once but that is the only thing I have done to it. Still runs great. You should get many more years out of your Speeco.
I know, that's what I am having a hard time with. Don't want to get rid of something reliable if the new one won't be......just for "better" specs on paper. I can get $1,000 for my Speeco. I have it sold for $1K if I want to sell it. I paid $1,250 new (plus $175 shipping) to get it to me in the crate.
Good info to know. The story seems a bit off tho. The title claims the tank will separate while the story says the tongue box? Neither is good and I can see it happening to either. They’re just welds after all and I’ve witnessed the durability of Chinese robotic welds.
Yep, we bought our DHT 27 ton in August of 2016, and average 10 cords a year, not a lot by some standards, but the only problem we have had is DHT got a Bad batch of Teflon paste, some of the fittings leaked a bit, DHT made arrangements for the local John Deere shop to clean and reseal all the fittings, otherwise, it has been Dead Reliable, I’d name it “Ol Reliable” but my Husqvarna 266XP already has that title The Kohler engine on it has me convinced, Hondas are Great engines, but I wouldn’t pay extra to “Upgrade” to a Honda, if the Kohler is the standard engine. Even dead cold, it usually starts first pull. If I pull it more than twice, I am checking the On/Off switch, then the fuel tank ( yep, done both ) Sorry to hear that DHT is no more, I would buy another of their splitters without hesitation, and their Customer Service was Top Notch. When dealing with them on the leaking hydraulic fittings, I asked about getting a spare tire and wheel, as we do road transit ours more than most, dayum if I can remember his name, but he said no problem, “Sounds like a “Warranty Issue”, and a complete tire and wheel with bearings was on the porch about 4 days later Doug
If you alter the design it would void the warranty on the CL. For a new one anyways. Check out the American splitters which I believe are made in New York State. They make some nice push through models. Brad Curtis at Curtis Outdoor Power sells them in Brooklyn CT. If I was in the market for a push through hydraulic I’d definitely check them out.
I agree on the warranty center and forget the guys name too. Doug maybe? Got to the point he new me before I said a word. “Whatchya break now Joe?” Must have caller id. Never a problem, never a question. Just tell him what you want and they shipped it. First call was for the leaking ram. I figured they’d send out a seal pack and I’d have to learn how to do it. He laughed. Nope they just sent the entire ram. Good you got a spare tire
